The Ultimate Sunglasses Guide For Men

Summer is here dammit, fuck the calendar and the ‘official’ 1st day of summer. It’s always summer here on the West Coast and sunglasses aren’t just to make you look like a movie star, they actually are needed to protect your eyes from the blinding sun.

I’ve always been a big fan of sunglasses, mainly because my eyes are generally bloodshot from lack of sleep and alcohol induced late nights, and less because I think they make me look ‘cool’, but maybe there’s a point to this fun chart.

Back in the day when I was a young hustler with my hands in everything I could find, I had a part-time job at Sunglass Hut. Yep, Sunglass Hut. That makes me a kind-of-an-expert on writing this article and by the time you get done reading this, you should have an excellent idea of what styles are classic, trending and how exactly to find sunglasses that fit YOUR face.

When in doubt, always go classic. Always. It’s classic, because well, it doesn’t go out of style and you’ll look timeless. These four sunglass shapes have been here for decades and will probably be here thirty years from now, so regard these as Fail-Safe sunglasses: Wayfarer Style, Aviator Style, Round Frame Style, D-Frame Style.

Wayfarer Style

Popularized by Tom Cruise in Risky Business, these frames have been popular since the 50’s (when they were invented) actually and have picked up even more steam as of late for the ‘movie star’ look.

If you’re an extremely cheap type of cat, you can buy knock-offs of the Ray-Ban brand at a kiosk at your local mall (probably in front of the Sunglass Hut), but remember, it’s not just the frames you should be focused on, it’s the lenses. When it comes to lenses you truly do need good protection for your eyes, so drop some extra coin as in investment in your vision and get the Polarized Lenses. They cost more, but isn’t your vision extremely important?

There’s multiple brands that now make this style, so check to see if the lenses are polarized and what kind of protection they provide.

Aviator Style

Can you say iconic? This style has been around since the 1930’s and this cat pictured right here (General Douglas MacArthur) cemented this style in the public’s conscious as a go-to look for men.

Although there has been a recent trend of females rockin’ these too, they are predominately known as a man’s style of sunglasses and scream masculinity.

Ray-Ban also makes these, but so do multiple other brands, so select ones that look good on you and remember: the lenses are key. Get polarized for extra protection.

Round Frame Style

These have recently become popular, but are a throwback to the 20’s and 30’s.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this style on (buy in-person, not over the web) and seeing what fits your face shape though. While I like the style, they don’t look the best on my face. It’s not just about what’s in style, it’s also about what looks good on YOU. Take your time when picking out sunglasses and select ones that make you look your best.

D-Frame Style

While these aren’t classics (yet), their style is similar to Wayfarer’s, but unique in their own right. These are particularly good if you have a round face, because the lines of the glasses square your face up, instead of enhancing the roundness of it (like the glasses above may do).

Now that you know what styles are classic and most popular, here’s a handy chart for you (courtesy of SunglassWarehousedotcom) to gauge what frames will look best on you.

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Hey, I’m not a sunglasses guru, but I believe getting a polarized pair is not always that crucial in terms of safety. I heard from/read in several places that polarization is important if you use your shades in extreme environments – being a driver, a winter sports person (sun + snow) or water sports person, etc. You definitely have many readers from outside of Cali (I guess can be considered as an “extreme environment”), who can save some cash by getting good non-polarized shades that will still protect their vision well enough.

Polarized lenses work better, however. If you have a basic understanding of electromagnetic wave physics (nerdy haha) you’d understand why. Light waves normally travel in all directions, and when light bounces off of the ground or water, it goes up and down, but polarized lenses make it so the waves only bounce between two points and only light going side to side can pass through, thereby reducing the light entering your eye off the ground. With normal lenses (unpolarized) it simply changes the color of the light coming in by making it darker. Therefore polarized lenses are better because they reduce light entering your eye without reducing visibility. And they really aren’t much more expensive anyway.

The Mcqueen Persol shades are money. I have a vintage pair of Rayban Aviators right now, but I’m saving up for the Persols. I used to rock the wayfarers but I don’t like the way they fit my face now without long hair.

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